


nerves and hot coffee

by sunspot (unavoidedcrisis)



Category: Newsies (1992)
Genre: Extra Treat, First Dates, First Kiss, M/M, trash fire next to immigration building terrifies seagulls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-24 05:07:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17698220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unavoidedcrisis/pseuds/sunspot
Summary: When Jack asks David on a date, David's all nerves.





	nerves and hot coffee

**Author's Note:**

  * For [salazarastark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/salazarastark/gifts).



When David looks at the clock and discovers it's been less than five minutes and not the half an hour he was hoping for, he groans and drops his chin to his hand. He's reading the same page for the fourth time and sighing for the fifth time when Sarah snaps the book closed in front of his eyes.

"You're infuriating," she tells him. "Go wait for him on the fire escape if you're going to keep grunting like that."

"He'll be here soon," David says, making a reach for the book.

"Exactly, why are you so impatient? You're nervous, aren't you?"

David glares, but he knows there's not much heat to it. Sarah smirks in response.

"It's a date," David mumbles after a moment. "I've never been on a date."

Sarah pats his shoulder, handing him his book back. "You must've been out with Jack twenty times since you met him."

"He said 'date.' It's different this time." David keeps telling himself it's not, but it is. Whatever they did before, it was under the assumption of being friends. And David's not so oblivious that he thinks Jack wasn't making time with other people at the same time they were making time for each other. But he thinks maybe that's stopped in recent weeks. Jack hasn't mentioned any girls and then abruptly changed the subject two seconds after the words left his mouth in ages. David hasn't seen any love bites in he can't remember how long.

Sarah just pats him again then lets him be, for which he is both grateful and annoyed, because now he's alone with the thoughts she brought on. The same thoughts he's been trying to avoid all day.

There's a knock at the door that startles David, his head whipping around to check the clock.

"Fifteen minutes early," Sarah notes, keeping her eyes on her own book. "Maybe you're both that impatient."

When David opens the door, Jack looks anything but impatient. He's leaning wall across from the apartment door, his hat sitting as crooked as his smile.

"Hey there, Davey," Jack says. David's heart feels fluttery in his chest. He snaps the door shut behind him before Sarah says anything.

They walk along the river, aimless, like they've done a hundred times before. David has to admit to himself that maybe it's a date, but Sarah's right and it feels familiar. Have they been on dates before, even if they hadn't said the word?

Then Jack reaches across the small space between then and takes David's hand, like he's grabbing a paper, familiar and practiced and not anything to think twice about. David's heart stops in chest, or at least it feels like it does. They walk for a block, then a second and third, without speaking, hands clasped tight, until David works up the nerve to glance over. 

Jack's worrying his lower lip between his teeth, the very picture of nerves. David laughs out loud. Jack looks over and glares.

"What?"

"You look nervous, that's all."

"I never!" Jack argues.

Whether he never, or not, it breaks the tension. When they walk, their shoulders bump, and Jack doesn't drop his hand. David doesn't even try to hide his smile, and every time Jack sneaks a look over, he beams back.

They stop for cups of coffee and the moment they turn away from the stall, Jack sweeps up his hand again. There's a dearth of conversation, but David figures they've said a lot to each other since first meeting. They argue, they shout headlines, then all the speeches at the rallies, and Jack talks a lot, so much, plus even more arguing, often when there isn't anything to even argue about… They've earned this silence and it's a companionable one, even.

No sooner does David think about the silence, it breaks.

Jack lets out an explosive sigh and stops walking, drops David's hand. "So, Davey."

David takes a long sip of his coffee to steel his nerves for whatever comes next, whether Jack's got a ticket to Santa Fe after all, or he's got consumption and has to go a sanatorium, or Jack just never wants to see him again, he'll play it cool. "Yeah?"

"Sorry this ain't a better date. I thought I could romance you a little, y'know, but I uh… Got nervous. Wasn't sure what you'd like. So, I didn't plan anything spectacular. Sorry."

Cool flies away from him like seagulls from a trash fire. David laughs and laughs, hard and long enough to shake the last few drops of coffee from his cup. He takes Jack's hand in his again and pulls him down the street. Jack looks a cross between bewildered and offended, but he relaxes into David's laughter with a smirk.

"Okay, okay, I guess we're fine then?"

"Fine. Good. _Great._ You had no reason to be nervous. I don't need romance, Jack, I just wanted -- I want -- to spend time with you. Coffee and a walk is good."

"Sorry we can't all be as clam and smart as you," Jack says, the refrain to a common argument, but with no heat behind it.

David's about to make another joke, but he remembers his book snapping shut almost on his nose and yes, Sarah was right because when isn't she. "I was a little nervous too. But I'm having fun now. Nothing to worry about."

Jack spins him around in that disconcerting, stomach-dropping way he can, and they're suddenly in a deserted alleyway. Jack's mouth presses firmly, amazingly, against his own before he can get out more than an indignant squeak. It's a testament to the fact that David never knows quite what's going on in Jack's mind.

But he really, really doesn't need to right now. David braces his palms on a flanneled chest, smelling newsprint and feeling Jack's mouth move against his until there's no worries left, no nerves, and the taste of coffee is just memory.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Chocolate Box! <3 It's my OG fandom, the fandom that started it all for me, and I was so excited to write it again for you.


End file.
